500 house razed in Fuata Nyayo slum inferno
Approximately 500 houses were on Tuesday gutted in Mukuru Fuata Nyayo slum in an afternoon fire.
Property of unknown value was destroyed. Scores were also injured as residents attempted to salvage their belongings.
Residents rushed to douse the fire with buckets full of water from the nearby Ngong river, and some even used sewage water, all in a bid to contain the fire before it could spread further.
Nairobi firefighters could not access the fire due to congestion between the tin sheet houses.
Household items were scattered all over, but residents said it was better than having them consumed in the fire.
Mr Cornelius Tanui, an area resident, said the fire might have resulted from a faulty electricity line.
“There is hardly space between the houses and electricity connection is not to the required standards. We suspect there might have been a fault in one of the houses in the middle which then caused fire spread easily to the others,” explained Mr Tanui.
Red Cross personnel rushed to the area and gave first aid to some of the injured.